National Park Service Suddenly Shuts Down Memorial Bridge to Pedestrians

ARLINGTON, VA — The Memorial Bridge will be shut down to pedestrians as well as vehicular traffic on Thursday thanks to the inaugural welcoming ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial scheduled for that night.

The National Park Service made the announcement on their National Mall Twitter account at 7:08 a.m. Thursday, stating: "Due to the inaugural welcoming ceremony at the Lincoln Mem, Memorial Bridge is closed to pedestrian as well as vehicular traffic today."

Two free public concerts will be held at the Lincoln Memorial on Thursday to celebrate the inauguration of Donald Trump as president, and that will mean massive road closures in the District all day long.

The Voices of the People and the Make American Great Again! inaugural welcome celebrations will take place in front of the Lincoln Memorial on Thursday, Jan. 19 from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m. But the road closures will begin a lot earlier than that, with the National Park Service indicating that the following roads will be closed starting at 4 a.m. on Thursday:

• Constitution Avenue (23rd Street to 15th Street)
• 23rd Street NW (Virginia Avenue NW to Independence Avenue SW)
• Henry Bacon Drive NW
• Lincoln Memorial Circle
• 22nd Street NW (C Street NW to Constitution Avenue NW)
• 21st Street NW (Virginia Avenue NW to Constitution Avenue NW)
• 20th Street NW (C Street NW to Constitution Avenue NW)
• 19th Street NW (Virginia Avenue NW to Constitution Avenue NW)
• 18th Street NW (Virginia Avenue NW to Constitution Avenue NW)
• Virginia Ave NW (18th Street NW to Constitution Avenue NW)
• 17th Street NW (New York Ave NW to Independence Avenue SW)
• Independence Avenue SW (23rd Street NW to 17th Street NW)
• Daniel French Drive SW
• Ohio Drive SW (Independence Avenue SW to Inlet Bridge)
• West Basin Drive SW (Ohio Drive SW to Independence Avenue SW)
• Rock Creek Parkway (Virginia Avenue SW to Ohio Drive SW)
• Parkway Drive
• Arlington Memorial Bridge
• Theodore Roosevelt Bridge (at 10 am on January 19th, a full closure will occur with all traffic being diverted onto Northbound Potomac River Freeway)

In addition, the following NPS sites will be closed starting at 4 a.m. on Thursday until after the end of the event at 6 p.m.

• Lincoln Memorial
• D.C. War Memorial
• Korean War Veterans Memorial
• Vietnam Veterans Memorial
• World War II Memorial

For our full inauguration coverage, click here.

Image via NPS